Her
by marimoonigiri
Summary: J. Daniel Atlas is not very good at accepting his emotions. Or at least that's what he used to think. Coincidentally, on the seemingly normal day that he ends up letting his brain wander a bit too much, a surprise meeting causes him to finally confront himself. Takes place after NYSM2 (possible spoilers.) T for language.
1. Chapter 1

**Why holo, it's me. Anyone? Holosexuals? No? K.**

 **Well I'm back. With NYSM fic this time. Actually finished this one a while ago but chose to upload it today. Mainly cause I just watched the second movie again. Anywho. Yes, this is a DanLey fic. Mainly cause it's real. I was hella sad about Henley not being in the second one so here's a fic where she comes back! Lol spoiling my own Fanfiction. I hope you enjoy! I tried ;-;**

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J. Daniel Atlas stood outside of the small cafe he had watched a certain redhead walk out of with a fresh cup of coffee in her gloved hand what felt like so long ago. She would then cross the street with her bright red-orange hair flying around in the wind, as she looked from side to side, making sure no car was passing. She would smile at him and nod towards the taxi waiting for them. He had asked, once, why it was him who she dragged along to get her daily dose of caffeine. And she had answered with a laugh.

"Because you would get unexplainably pissed off if I went with anyone else."

Back then, he had said nothing. He had just continued to walk next to her with a slight smirk on his face, although she hadn't noticed. But he had known that she was right. He still did, and he always would.

But of course, that was in the past. Now, she was gone. Even the scent of her overly strong vanilla perfume had begun to fade from his apartment, where she had plopped herself on his couch and refused to leave so many times. He never told her, but he secretly liked her surprise visits. The days where he would wake up to see her asleep on his couch. He would watch her for a few seconds, then turn around and leave the apartment, not returning until he knew she had left.

Standing there, he thought back to the day where Lula had shown up at his apartment. Hearing the name of the woman he had tried to wipe from his emotions, from his memory (emphasis on the word "tried") had shaken him. He easily gained his outer composure back, but internally, it had bothered him so much that now, he had given up trying to get the woman out of his brain. He would never tell Lula. He would never let her have the pleasure of knowing that something she said had bothered him so much. And of course, he would never let her figure out how easily hearing the name of that woman could threaten to breaking down his talent of hiding strong emotions. Lula's remarks on how the redhead supposedly got tired of waiting for the Eye echoed in his brain. How she got tried of waiting for...him. After Lula had left, he had asked himself, "what does she mean by that?" But he knew. Of course he did. He knew too well.

He ran a hand through his newly shaved hair. He had said goodbye to his long hair the day after she had left. It had sounded ridiculous to him at the time, but he now admitted to himself that seeing his hair had reminded himself of her. The times where she would say "nice hair" immediately after he changed it. She was always the first one to notice. That time, he changed his hair, and there was no one to say "nice hair" to him. He thought back to when he reunited with the rest for the first time after she had left, with his shaven head. After a short talk, they were left to go back on their own again. However, this time, before he left, Merritt had clasped one of his shoulders.

"I know. Me too," he had said, glancing up for a split second at Daniel's hair as he did. It was the most genuine thing he had ever heard coming from Merritt's mouth. Not to mention Merritt quoted him. He almost punched him in the face for being so painfully cliché. However, he was glad that they had some kind of interaction between the two of them that wasn't just some kind of tease or insult. He also remembered that it had annoyed him how easy it was to read him. It still did. Merritt with the hair issue. Lula with his entire situation. Not to mention that one time where Jack had suddenly said "Hey, she's been waiting, you know?"

It was when she was still with them, the year that they had spent preparing for their first act. They were all going out to dinner together, something that didn't happen often. Jack had brushed it off as if he was saying that Henley was waiting in the car, which she was. But he was smarter than that. Again. Was he always so easy to read?

Daniel crushed the small coffee cup he was holding. No, he didn't love coffee, not as much as she did. But he had never had a problem with it, and he would sometimes have a small cup with her during her daily coffee break. He moved, for the first time in about 10 minutes, to throw away the cup. He hadn't cared that he was blocking the way of many people leaving the coffee shop, nor had he cared about the many people pushing past him during that 10 minute time period. He could care less about his surroundings when he was deep in thought. He was lucky he was wearing a hoodie and fake glasses, and that the New York citizens were too busy to notice who he was. He threw away the cup, and turned around, ready to leave. He was about to walk away when he froze. Time seemed to stop as he breathed in the oh-so-familiar smell of sickeningly sweet vanilla, and his eyes just barely caught the flash of red-orange hair swishing past him. He whipped around and grabbed at the hand of the person passing by him, his hood flying off his head. The impulse that had driven him to do so felt strangely familiar, as if he knew it by heart. When brought his hand up, all he had in his hand was a brown leather glove.

He clenched it in his fist, staring at it. It was hers. She was here. She knew he knew she was here. His eyebrows began to twitch again, and he was afraid to move. Fear. Another strong emotion she could easily bring out of him. She was too smart for him, although he hated to admit it. She knew him too well. She knew all of his weaknesses. Especially his most important and influential one.

"Nice hair, Danny."

 _Her_.

He turned around, slowly. He let out the breath he was holding in, and forced his signature straight face with a hint of a smug smile, trying to hold in the emotions in him that threatened to overflow onto his outer self.

"Henley."

She looked the same. Exactly the same as the day he had first seen her again after she quit being his assistant. Long red-orange hair. A patterned scarf. A long sleeved cashmere sweater. Dark blue jeans. Brown heeled boots. And of course, she was holding her cup of hot coffee, her name written clearly on the side. He hadn't realized how desperate he was to see her again until this moment. Neither of them said a word for a couple of minutes, and busy New Yorkers continued to walk right through the gap in between them. He was scared that someone would walk past him, obstructing his view for a split second, and she would disappear. Before he could think too much into it, Henley held out her hand. Her bare hand. When was the last time he had seen it? Henley had stopped coming to his apartment in her pajamas, bare face, and bare hands weeks before she left.

"Well? You know I'm not letting you keep that, Danny," Henley said impatiently, stepping closer so that passing people now went around them instead of through the gap between them. Danny snapped out of it and handed the glove to her. He finally, finally began to talk to her.

"I figured you didn't have the strength to leave your favorite caffeine joint," he remarked with a small smile. A real one. She scoffed, and then let out a small chuckle.

"New Year's at London, huh?" she asked. Danny scratched at the back of his hand.

"So you've been paying attention," he replied. Henley took a sip of her coffee.

"I thought I'd might. After all, you guys were all over the news."

She began to walk over to the bench near them, and he joined her. They sat down, and the same silence from earlier returned. Beeps and the sounds of people talking were the only thing they listened to for a while.

"How are the new pair of lovebirds doing?" Henley finally asked, with a small smile. Danny paused, recalling the day of their final act, where Lula had abruptly kissed Jack. He would admit another thing to himself. He was jealous. Not of either of them. He had no romantic feelings towards Lula, _clearly_ , and hell no, he wasn't gay. Even if he was, he wouldn't be gay for any of the Horsemen. That would be...weird. He almost laughed. He found it stupid of him that he said it would be weird when he had fallen, _hard_ , for one of them. Since when had he been so good at admitting things to himself? That point aside, in truth, he was jealous of soley their ability to actually even carry out some kind of public affection. It wasn't like he could pop a surprise kiss on Henley when she was who-knows-where on that day, instead of right next to him, where he would have liked her to be. He thought back to the many times he simply wanted to grab her and physically tell their crowd that she was _his_. Lula and Jack certainly did it easily. He shook his head. He wasn't going to let himself get into this subject.

Before his brain could wander some more, Henley abruptly asked, "What are you shaking your head about?"

Danny didn't answer.

He'd die before telling her what he was thinking about so deeply. Instead, he would change the subject. He turned to her, feigning a smirk.

"What you said implies that there was a previous pair of lovebirds."

Henley, after hearing his words, looked up at him in mild surprise. They locked eyes for a few seconds. Henley opened her mouth and closed it. She then smiled, turning back to her coffee.

"Well, I thought you and Merritt already knew of your status of 'lovebirds'." Danny let out a small, subtle laugh, and Henley chuckled next to him. The same silence returned, but this time he kept his eyes on her. He had the sudden impulse to grab her and drag her back to Dylan, forcing her to join them again. But that would be remarkably childish, and he knew he wouldn't be able to escape that without a slap.

Suddenly, breaking him out of his trance, Henley reached out and grabbed Danny's hand with her bare one as she stood up. He looked up at her, surprised for two reasons. One, her hand was still bare. Why hadn't she put her glove on? Two, she was holding his hand. The last time that had happened was when they had first joined the Eye.

Henley smiled at him.

"Take care of them for me, Danny?"

Although it was more of an order than a question. He exhaled and looked down at her hand gently holding his. It infuriated him how easy it was for her to control his emotions. Still, he let his mouth spread into a subtle smile.

"Yeah," he answered, keeping his gaze on their hands.

Her hand slipped away from his, and he lifted her head, watching her walk away off into the crowds of New York City. His smile slowly disappeared. He let out a large sigh and removed his glasses. He stood up and put his hands into his pockets, walking in the opposite direction Henley had gone in.

His eyebrows began to twitch again as he felt a smooth fabric inside his pocket. It hadn't been there before. Daniel stopped in his tracks, his shoulders slumping and a smirk spreading on his lips as he accepted defeat. He was supposed to be the master magician here. He took out the small brown leather glove that sat in his pocket. When did she manage to slip it in? He gripped it tighter as he did before. He could smell the strong vanilla scent coming from the glove. Danny slipped it back into his pocket and slowly began to walk back to his apartment.

 _"You know I'm not letting you keep that, Danny."_ He stopped. So she had been planning to plant her glove on him from the start. She was hinting at the fact that it wouldn't be the last time they saw each other. He ran his fingers through his shaved hair for the second time. He felt yet another emotion that only she could bring out of him grabbing at his chest. Relief. He was relieved.

Daniel reached his home a few minutes later, plopping himself on his bed, holding the brown glove tightly in his hand. Maybe it had been a mistake, going out of his way to go to Henley's coffee joint. Maybe it would have been better if he hadn't seen her. Now he couldn't get her out of his mind. Not to mention the smell of vanilla wouldn't go away.

Not that he minded.

He had missed it. After she had left, the only thing he had left of her was the smell of vanilla from his couch.

Daniel let time pass as he stared at the glove. He suddenly heard a knock on the door. He ignored it. Usually he would tense, because no one was supposed to know where he was. But he was too busy staring at the glove to pay any attention to anything else. However, his plan to just stay put backfired as he heard the sound of his lock unlocking. He sighed, refusing to sit up.

Oh.

It was them.

Jack, Lula, and Merritt's faces popped up from the side of his bedroom door.

"Don't pick apartment locks," he muttered. Jack laughed.

"Well only a few years back, him picking the lock to an apartment was the thing that started this," Merritt said, chuckling.

"Come on, Daniel Atlas! We got food! Up and at em, lazy bones!" Lula yelled as she sat on top on his stomach. Daniel let out a small grunt, the air getting knocked out of him through the impact.

"Okay, you win. It'd be nice if you got off now," he complained. She smiled victoriously, and hopped off. She disappeared to the kitchen to set up the table, leaving the three boys alone.

"When did you meet her?" Merritt asked after a short silence. Of course. They had obviously seen the glove in his hand. Daniel kept his eyes on the ceiling. Jack crossed his arms, leaning on the wall.

"Earlier," he answered. Jack shook his head.

"Did she say anything?" He questioned.

Daniel smirked before continuing.

"Said to take care of you guys."

Merritt let out a short laugh.

"At least she acknowledged that you wouldn't have let anyone else do the job," he said.

Jack smiled, opening his mouth to ask, "How is she?"

"...The same," came the answer after a long pause.

The room became suddenly gloomy and silent. Within this silence, Lula popped up from behind Jack.

"Guys, am I the only one hungry cause..."

Her cheerful voice trailed off as she took in their facial expressions and the heavy mood that filled the room.

"H-hey, is everything alright?" She asked tentatively. Jack stretched his arm to pull her to him by her waist. She smiled at him worriedly.

"Yes, everything's fine. You said you're hungry?" Daniel said, rising from the bed and walking off into the kitchen. Lula made worried looks towards all of them. She turned around and looked at the brown glove sitting on Daniel's bed.

Oh, she realized. Jack brought her to the table before she could say anything about it.

Dinner was silent. Even Lula was quiet, the one who usually attempted (and succeeded) to break any silence. Truthfully, she was about to break the silence when Daniel suddenly stood and left the table. Just like that, dinner was over. The three other horsemen watched as Daniel shut his bedroom door behind him. He was undoubtedly laying on his bed again, staring at the glove.

Merritt sighed, rubbing his temples.

"He really misses her," Lula finally said. Merritt and Jack looked at her, surprised. They quickly realized that this was Lula, and even if no one had told her, she knew all about them. Jack grinned. A sad and wistful grin.

"Yeah."

"Do you think we can do anything about it?" She asked.

Merritt paused, then started to chuckle, rubbing his hands together.

"I believe we can."

The next thing he knew, (after a large struggle including the rest of the horsemen literally dragging him off of his bed and onto the living room floor) Daniel Atlas was sitting in a circle with the other horsemen, playing a game of poker, the glove sitting next to him. Which was ridiculous.

Merritt, for one, always knew what cards someone had. Jack kept on making his cards disappear and grabbing new ones without being noticed. Lula kept looking at other people's cards. Somehow all of theirs, even Merritt's, who sat across from her. Which made it nearly impossible for one to see his cards from her angle. But she was Lula.

However, he would admit that it was an entertaining game, and his attention was taken away from the redhead for a while.

That is, until she popped up on the seat next to him.


	2. Chapter 2

At first, after looking her straight in the eye, he had ignored her, telling himself that he needed to stop hallucinating. Perhaps it was time he actually slept at a reasonable time. He glanced at the clock.

3:30 am.

Too late.

But Danny wasn't the only one who was beyond bewildered.

"Are you guys seeing this, or did that pasta have something in it that shouldn't have been?" Lula whispered.

Merritt, after having dropped his cards, took off his hat, saying "Sweet Jesus, have my eyes gone bad?"

Jack sat, his jaw open. Several times he had looked down at his cards, blinked, and then looked back up to the redhead.

A silence ensued, and it hung heavily in the air.

Until, much to his surprise, Danny's so called hallucination began to speak.

"What, no warm welcome?" Henley asked jokingly.

Danny blinked.

Merritt let out a whispered "holy shit."

"wha- SHE'S REAL!" Lula yelled.

Jack hung his head, letting out a large sigh of defeat and a small "Oh god."

Henley rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I'm real. What, did me leaving mean that I died in your brains?"

She turned to Danny.

"James Daniel Atlas, I think you took something of mine," she said, grinning.

"AND HIS NAME IS JAMES!" Lula yelled again. She brought her hands to the sides of her head. "This is too much to take in at once!"

Jack laughed, bringing the oh-so-overwhelmed Lula to him by the waist again.

Danny, still in his trance, tried to compose himself.

"...Don't call me James, Henley," he said, still not believing the fact that she was sitting next to him. When? How?

Henley seemed to read his mind.

"I'll call you whatever I want to, Danny," she paused to point her thumb towards the door, "and someone left the door unlocked."

Danny turned to Jack, giving him a look of disbelief. He shrunk back, lifting his hands in defense.

"It was Merritt's idea to break in," he laughed. Merritt shook his head, putting his hat back on.

"Oh no, this one's on you, kid," he answered, chuckling.

Henley let out a small laugh. She then turned to Lula.

"So you're Lula," she said with an outstretched hand. Lula shook it eagerly, smiling.

"It's so nice to finally meet you! I hope you didn't mind me becoming the new femalehorsemenandall,becauseIreallythinkyou'reamazing,andIhonestlyfelthorriblefortakingyourplacewhenIknewIcouldn'treplaceyouandwellJackandeveryoneelsehelpedmealotandyouallarereallygreatbutIcouldnever-"

Jack placed his hand on Lula's shoulder, chuckling. Lula finally took a breath, and Henley laughed.

"Sorry! I get really jumbled whenever I get nervous," she said, scratching her head sheepishly. Jack smiled, pecking her on the cheek. She jabbed him in the stomach with her elbow jokingly.

"Sap," she said, rolling her eyes while smiling. He laughed.

Henley smiled warmly.

"Must be nice," she said, while glancing over to Danny pointedly, her eyebrows raised. He snapped out of his trance, looking at her.

"Hm?" He said. She shook her head.

"Nothing, nothing," she answered, smirking.

Truthfully, he was watching her very closely during her entire conversation with Lula. He hadn't seen her laugh so brightly for months. He almost smiled at the thought that only the Horsemen could bring it out of her. Henley turned to look at Merritt.

"Merritt."

"Henley."

Henley chuckled, and Merritt eyed Danny mischievously.

"So, _James_."

Henley grinned as she glanced at the ticked off Danny.

"Don't call me that, Merritt," he said, rubbing his temples.

"Oh why not, _James_?" He replied jokingly.

Danny shot a look at Henley. She shrugged her shoulders, smiling gleefully. Danny, after seeing that, finally let himself relax, as he let a small smile spread on his lips.

"And the great magician finally smiles!" Merritt clapped. Everyone began to laugh. Well, besides Danny.

"Yes, we get it. But seriously, don't call me James," he said.

"Okay, okay. But now I know what can really tick you off. 1. Your first name, which I don't get, since it's a _lovely_ first name," he started, gesturing to Danny as he addressed the "loveliness" of his first name. Henley laughed, while Danny scowled.

"2. When people don't listen to your control freak-ness," he continued. Jack grinned, looking back and forth between the pissed off Danny and Merritt.

"And 3. Most importantly, when innocent people try to flirt or even talk to your life long infatuation and love, H-"

Merritt didn't get to finish, as Danny "accidentally" knocked his glass of water off the table and onto Merritt.

"Whoops. Merritt, why don't you go change while I clean this up?" He said, smirking. The other three grinned while watching the interaction.

"This isn't my house, _James_ ," Merritt replied.

"Firstly, don't call me James. Secondly, I guess you'll just have to deal with it then," Danny answered smugly.

"Class A dick is back, ladies and gentlemen," Merritt chuckled. Everyone laughed.

Danny let his subtle laugh fade into a small smile. It was so _happy_ when she was around. He could easily say that "happy" wasn't an adjective he used often.

Jack piped up.

"Henley, why did you come here anyways?"

Henley feigned an offended facial expression.

"And here I thought you guys missed me," she joked. Jack chuckled.

"Besides the fact that _someone_ took something from me," she paused, looking pointedly at Danny. He scratched at the back of his hand again _. Says the one who planned the whole thing._

After turning away from Danny, Henley continued.

"I wanted to visit, of course. I may not be part of the Horsemen anymore, but Dylan never said anything about not visiting."

She stopped, realizing what she had just said. The air immediately became heavier after she mentioned that she wasn't in the Horsemen anymore. Henley mentally slapped herself. This wasn't what she came to do.

"So how's this poker game going?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

It worked. Lula immediately began to describe how absurd the game was going, and they added Henley into it. Which didn't make it any less absurd. Time continued to pass, until it was already 5:30 am, and the sun began to rise. Henley glanced out the window, and sighed. She stood up, the gazes of the horsemen on her.

"I think it's time for me to go now," she said, a fake smile plastered on her face. In truth, it hurt her badly having to leave them again. It almost made her regret coming in the first place. Another silence ensued, until Merritt stood up, and opened his arms.

"Come on," he said with a toothy grin. She smiled and hugged him, ignoring Danny tensing next to them. Jack, after laughing, joined in on the hug, with Lula following soon after. They all looked at Danny, who refused to move. That is, until a full minute passed and their gazes were practically boring a hole through him. He sighed and joined in on the hug, a ghost of smile on his lips. They all came apart, and she smiled at all of them.

Lula, although having met her only today, seemed just as sad as the rest of them.

"You're coming back to visit, right?" She asked.

Henley gave her a sad smile. "We'll see," she answered. Lula nodded slowly.

Merritt locked eyes with Danny, and kept them there. Danny gave him a stiff nod, and walked with Henley to the door. He leaned on the side of the door frame. She turned around.

"Bye Danny," she said with another sad smile. Before he could answer, she turned around to leave. The same impulse from before shot through him, and he grabbed her wrist. As she was about to turn, he spun her around and pulled her into his arms. _Shit_. He wasn't planning on getting himself into this situation. Henley slowly brought her arms up and around him. Danny heard the sound of Merritt taking a picture and almost growled. Henley chuckled on his chest and pulled away. He had the sudden urge to keep her from going, but he wouldn't stoop to that level. It wouldn't be successful anyways. She was leaving. Leaving.

Memories from the day she had left the horsemen flooded his brain. He bit the inside of his lip and held in his inner emotions that wouldn't stop grabbing at his chest and brain. He wanted to _do_ something. He wanted to grab her and finally get the kiss he had wanted for so long. Not saying that they hadn't ever kissed. But the last time they did, it was right before she had quit being his assistant, and neither of them wanted to do it again. It brought out too much affection, and complications following those affections. But now she was leaving again and he wanted to feel her lips on his he couldn't, and he wouldn't. He watched as she walked away from him and down the stairs, giving him a small wave.

"Bye Henley," he finally said. She nodded, and disappeared under the staircase after locking eyes with him for a bit. He turned around and ran his hand through his hair. She had left him for the second time now. No, third. And he had never stopped her. He didn't want to regret it, but sometimes he found himself doing so. He finally stepped into the room, and looked up. All three of the rest of the horsemen were staring at him. He diverted his eyes and began to walk to his room at a fast pace.

"Jack, Lula, stop staring. Merritt, delete that picture _now_ ," he said while zipping past them. They all chuckled.

"Looks like the control freak is back," Merritt said, smiling. Jack and Lula let out sighs of relief.

Daniel entered his room, closed the door behind him, and flopped down on his bed. He frowned when he realized he could still smell vanilla. Looks like the glove had left some residue. He turned over, and frowned again. No, the smell was too strong to be something left behind. He sat up and slowly tipped his head to look at his bed. A brown glove was sitting next to him. His breath hitched. The last time he had seen it, it was definitely on the floor next to him, and then Henley had taken it. Or she hadn't. He flopped back on the bed. She hadn't taken the glove. No, she had left the glove.

 _"You know I'm not letting you keep that, Danny."_

Daniel smirked.

Perhaps he had underestimated Henley Reeves.


	3. Chapter 3

**SORRY! This isn't the actual chapter. I apologize for the false alarm but I'm here to inform all the lovely people who stumbled across my fanfics that the newest chapter is coming sOON! I'm working on it now ;)**

 **Okay to be honest, chapter 2 was supposed to be the end of it but you guys seemed to want more so here I am.**

 **Now, I'm not that mean so here's a sneak peek of the next chapter!**

 **Make sure to share with friends, follow, and leave comments cause I love to hear feedback! :)**

"Thanks," he heard himself say. _Shit._

"...For what?" she asked.

" _For coming back."_

"For visiting that time," he paused, "Jack and Merritt were missing you."

Henley scoffed, standing up. She strode over to him and looked up at him, her cup of coffee giving off steam in between them. Danny looked back at her. She didn't have her heeled boots on so he had to look down a bit more than usual.

"Does that mean you didn't miss me, Daniel Atlas?"

Danny didn't know how to answer. Should he answer in reference to her question or to the fact that she used his full name? His usual calm train of thought during a conversation due to a reassurance he always had that he'd win the argument in the end began to crumble with this one. His mind was in complete disarray and all he wanted to do was throw the cup in her hand behind him, pull her even closer than they already were, and kiss her.

 **YUP! HENLEY IS BACKKKKKK**


	4. Chapter 4

**HEYY**

 **I told y'all it'd be up soon!**

 **SO without further ado, chapter 4!**

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It had been another month and a half, and was now Christmas Eve. The bright lights of Christmas were scattered throughout the streets. Daniel Atlas watched the busy people from his window as he sat on his chair, practicing a couple of flourishes with the poker chips in his hands. Snow floated down from the sky and melted into the concrete sidewalks. The Horsemen had arranged to meet up for dinner that day, and Daniel still had to go out and buy dessert.

" _The sweetest task for the sweetest horseman,_ " Merritt had teased. He stood up, slipping the poker chips and the deck of cards sitting next to him into his jacket pocket. The things he did for them.

He ended up buying an overpriced cake, checking his phone for the time. 6:30 pm. He still had 30 minutes. He walked down the street, dodging passing people in hopes of not screwing up the cake before it reached his home. Daniel suddenly stopped and looked up at the smell of coffee. Of course. He was standing in front of her favorite cafe again. What had transpired a month ago flashed in his brain. His wandering train of thought. His surprise encounter with Henley. The distractingly strong emotions he had felt that day. Daniel closed his eyes tightly, his shoulders slumping as he exhaled. He wasn't going to do this again. He was getting sick of his repeated submission to his emotions these days. He clenched the fist holding the plastic bag from the bakery harder, and walked past the cafe without turning around.

Daniel reached his house again and carefully set the cake on the table. Lula had made a speech about how she wanted them to have a real family-like dinner, and how the boys all had to make themselves look presentable for a fancy dinner. He huffed softly and went to change into a dress shirt and pants. He spotted a tie and threw it over his shoulder after looking at the time. 6:55. He'd have to hurry up and set the table for the rest. He quickly grabbed plates, silverware, and candles and arranged them on his table. He didn't understand why the horsemen had chosen his apartment to hold the dinner. They probably just liked to annoy him. He was used to it, though. Rushing to get something done for the group. He would do this a lot, throwing his tie over his shoulder and neglecting to tie it after he finished his task. It was then that Henley would swoop in out of nowhere and tie it for him, her pale fingers carefully twirling and knotting the fabric. When she was around, Daniel had brushed the gesture off with a blunt "thanks" and then would turn away. But now, especially after she had pulled a surprise visit on him a month ago, he couldn't help but admit that he missed the soft accidental brush of her fingers on his neck and being able to watch her as she focused on the tie. Daniel shook his head slightly and grabbed the tie sitting on his shoulder. He tied it into a knot around his neck and then sat down on his usual chair. Where was Henley spending her Christmas? He didn't really want to think about it. He had thought about her enough for the day. The sound of people talking became increasingly louder outside of his door. Daniel stood up, walked over, and opened it before Lula could even knock.

A series of greetings, consisting of a "Buffy!" from Lula, a "Danny-boy!" from Merritt, an "Ey Danny!" from Jack, and a "Merry Christmas!" from Dylan were thrown at him. Daniel tried not to smile, and stepped aside to let the rest in.

"Hey. Put the stuff over there. And Merritt," he stopped to frown, "don't call me Danny-boy."

Merritt laughed, and clapped his back.

"How come Lula calls you Buffy and gets away with it?" He asked. Daniel turned around and began to put the food on the table, ignoring him. Merritt grinned and started to help him, quickly joined by the rest as well.

The evening passed with laughter and the family like environment Lula talked about all the time. Daniel was more than glad that he had something to get his mind off of Henley. He decided that he'd need to forget about her in order to live his life with no distractions.

So far, so good.

The dinner ended at almost 11 pm.

Danny entered his bedroom and flopped down onto his bed, fatigued from the endless chatter and from sleeping at 5 am the day before. He sighed, and rolled into his back. His eyes lingered on the ceiling until his eyelids shut themselves and he fell asleep.

He woke up the next morning to the sound of honking outside his apartment. He grumbled, sitting up and looking out the window. Christmas traffic. He rubbed his face and stood up, running his hand through his hair. He walked out of his room, loosening his tie and unbuttoning one of his buttons while watching the floor at his feet.

"Merry Christmas, Danny."

He stopped and shutting his eyes tightly like the day before, his eyebrows twitching. He opened his mouth and then closed it.

"Is this going to become a thing for you?" Danny said, looking up while opening his eyes. She was there, sitting on the stool in his kitchen, holding a mug of hot coffee. Her orange hair was sporting a ivory wool pom pom beanie, and she was wearing a dark burgundy sweater, a puffy vest, and warm jeans and socks. Henley crossed her legs, smiling at him.

"Would you dislike it if it did?" she asked, taking a sip of her coffee. Danny pressed his lips together, glancing out the window at the once again falling snow.

"No."

Henley looked up at him, surprised, and held his gaze. Danny pulled at his tie again, shifting his eyes to the coffee Henley held.

"Is that my cup?"

Henley grinned, snapping out of her trance.

"Of course it is."

"And my coffee."

"Mhm."

Danny laughed, a short and soft one like always.

"Thanks," he heard himself say.

"...For what?" she asked.

" _For coming back."_

"For visiting that time," he paused, "Jack and Merritt were missing you."

Henley scoffed, standing up. She strode over to him and looked up at him, her cup of coffee giving off steam in between them. Danny looked back at her. She didn't have her heeled boots on so he had to look down a bit more than usual.

"Does that mean you didn't miss me, Daniel Atlas?"

Danny didn't know how to answer. Should he answer in reference to her question or to the fact that she used his real name? His usual calm train of thought during a conversation due to a reassurance he always had that he'd win the argument in the end began to crumble with this one. His mind was in complete disarray and all he wanted to do was throw the cup in her hand behind him, pull her even closer than they already were, and kiss her. His thoughts were shattered instantly when she back stepped away from him, set down her mug, and began to talk.

"Okay then. Where's my glove?"

He blinked and stared at her for a moment.

"What?"

"My glove. Your deadline for returning it has been long overdue."

Danny ran his hand through his hair, sighing.

"Next to my bed."

Henley walked past him and came back after a bit with her glove.

"You know, Danny. There's been a reason why I've left my glove with you multiple times by now."

Danny exhaled.

"I know."

"You knew but you still didn't do it."

Danny didn't answer.

Henley sighed, and removed her hat to run her fingers through her long hair, gluing her eyes to the window.

"Do you even realize how much it pissed me off having to leave you again?" She continued before Danny could interpret her comment himself. "And by pissed me off I mean it hurt like hell."

Danny sighed as well.

"I know."

"Yeah of course. Cause you always know. You know everything yet you do _nothing_ for the sake of anyone but yourself," she said, her voice wavering.

Danny twitched and then began to slowly make his way over to her, his mind racing again.

"You're a complete dickhead."

He nodded subtly.

"A douchebag."

"Hm," he replied in agreement.

He stopped close in front of her, causing her to finally look at him. They were silent for a while, both of them focusing on the other's eyes. He wanted to run his hands through her hair, fixing the tousled parts of it. He wanted to hold her close as possible and keep her there. Hypnotized by the longing of his emotions, Danny found his body moving on its own, placing his hands on both sides of her lower chin and neck. He also found himself leaning in with no sign of being able to cancel his actions. He halted once his forehead was touching hers.

Another long silence transpired until Henley finally opened her mouth.

"...Asshole," she said with a quiet voice.

"Yeah," Danny replied in an almost whisper as he tilted his head and pressed his lips to hers. Henley immediately responded as if she was expecting it as soon as she had entered the apartment, lifting her hands to gently hold his forearms. Which could have been the case. The kiss was soft and fully expected from both of them for years after their very first departure from each other. Neither of them would ever admit how much or how long they had longed for the touch of the other's lips on theirs. She smelled of the vanilla he missed so much, and he wanted to pretend like they were normal like the busy people walking outside, relishing the holiday. Maybe then he could also pretend that there wasn't anything that would cause her to leave him again. Built up anger, jealousy, sadness, denial, longing, and the short moment of contentment halted once they broke apart. They stared at each other again, their arms reluctant to let go of each other.

"I fucking hate you," Henley muttered.

"...I know," Danny murmured back, his arms sliding down and away from Henley. She did the same, and turned around to grab her things. She was taking the glove this time, Danny noticed. Something clenched at his chest. He watched as she arranged her hat onto her head after smoothing her hair down. With one last zip of her boots, she was ready to leave him for the fourth time. She opened the door to his apartment and stared out into the hallway. Henley paused, then sighed, slipping her hand into her pocket. She turned around and threw the leather glove towards him, smiling. He caught it, his eyes trained on her.

"Merry Christmas, Danny."

He looked down at the glove in his hand and exhaled through his nose. The glove was no longer a sign, but a remember-me-by. He looked back up at her and smiled faintly.

"Merry Christmas."

Henley turned back around and was ready to leave when Danny spoke again.

"Henley."

"Yeah?"

Danny paused, their eyes locking. He opened his mouth and then closed it, shoving his hands into his pockets along with the glove. He looked away.

"...Nothing."

Henley smiled sadly and looked out the window.

"Okay," she answered, and walked down the stairs. He watched her disappear, his eyebrows twitching and his heart wrenching.

"I'll miss you," he said abruptly. He heard Henley's heels stop clicking as she halted her walk down the stairs. _Shit._

He was beginning to think that he was going crazy.

"...God, you really are a dick," he heard her say. He smirked softly, and turned around to retreat to his home once he couldn't hear the clicking anymore. He shut the door behind him and leaned against it, looking up at the ceiling. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to erase her from his mind.

 _I'll miss you._

He wanted to hit his head on a brick wall. What the hell was he saying?

Danny ran his hand through his short hair.

She just had to be so hard to handle.

He walked over the couch and flopped down onto it, placing a pillow over his face. He extended his arm and grabbed at the coffee table for a deck of cards, frowning and sitting up when he realized there wasn't one there. Suddenly, something flickered in his eyes and he stood up.

Danny moved towards a small dark wooden cabinet in his room with glass windows. He opened one of the windows and reached past the books and assortment of card decks and poker chips for the deck of cards Henley had given him only a day before she left the group. He stared, memories flooding his brain.

 _Henley sat next to Danny on the concrete steps to the Horsemen's hideout where he sat, thinking and playing with his poker chips as always. He looked at her, and then back to the empty and dark streets. It remained silent until Henley pulled out a deck of cards from her pocket and handed them to him. His eyes shifted from her to the cards._

" _I got them a while ago. A while ago as in when I was your assistant."_

 _Danny cocked his eyebrow, taking the deck from her._

" _I never got to give them to you. I was planning on giving them to you on your birthday but then my pride took over and I left before I could," she continued, chuckling softly._

 _Danny stayed silent, pictures of the day she quit as his assistant flashing in his mind._

" _Why now?" He asked. Henley turned to him. She smiled and then looked away._

" _I had a feeling I'd lose the chance to soon."_

Danny held the deck in one hand and then slid his hand into his pant pocket for her glove. His arms dropped at his sides and he looked out the window at the snow and red and green lights. A few minutes passed with him in deep thought. He then turned back and placed both the glove and the cards into the cabinet, shutting the window silently.

Danny moved out of his room while buttoning his shirt and tossing aside his tie. He grabbed a coat and left the house, his phone abandoned on the couch.

He wasn't there to hear the notification or see the text message he had received from Henley.

 _Me too._

* * *

 **UGH THE CRINGE I AM SO SORRY**  
 **I tried.**

 **That was probably painful.**

 **I hope you enjoyed it anyways xD**

 **This will probably be the last chapter, unless I get bored and have nothing to do someday again. Henley still won't be there with him. Not physically anyways.**

 **Before you ask, no I am most definitely nOT implying that she won't be in the third movie, nor am I wishing for it. Hoh my god, she better be in the third movie or Ima flip shit. Or flip Jon, I dunno.**

 **That being said I should probably do the copyright thing.**

 **Now You See Me does nOT belong to me. Happy?**

 **Anyways, the third movie better be nothing like this fanfic lol. She has to be there. And if she is I shall cry tears of joy.**

 **Hope y'all enjoyed and don't forget to share with ya friends and leave a review!**


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